GIancarlo Stanton has taken the baseball world by storm the past few weeks by putting on one of the most impressive power displays in baseball history. Power has always been the 27 year old’s main calling card but even this recent stretch has been impressive for his standards. In a stretch of 35 games, Stanton pounded out 23 long balls, claiming the attention as the game’s premier slugger that Yankees rookie Aaron Judge tried to take away earlier this year. Stanton slugged a healthy .731 in the month of July and is slugging a ridiculous 1.018 in August. He’s been baseball’s best hitter and player in the 2nd half so far, leading baseball with 2.2 fWAR and a 215 wRC+(115% better than the league average hitter).

As is custom with good Miami Marlins players, Stanton’s name is now floating around in trade talks around the league. With a mediocre MLB team, the league’s worst farm system and the team in the middle of changing ownership, it seems inevitable that Stanton will end up changing teams in the next calendar year. Add in the fact that Stanton is having a monstrous year and it makes too much sense that he will be shopped to contending teams in the next 6 months. What makes any Stanton trade tricky, however, is the huge amount of money he is owed for the next decade.

In late 2014, the Marlins and Stanton surprised the baseball world by agreeing to a 13 year 325 million dollar contract extension. This deal is still the largest in baseball history and likely will be until Manny Machado, Bryce Harper and Mike Trout are slated to be free agents in the next 4 years. At the time of the deal, it looked like a fair contract, albeit one with a lot of risk, given Stanton just slashed .288/.395/.555 with 6.3 fWAR as a 24 year old. Given his generational like power and surprising speed and athleticism for a 6’4″ 245 pound man, it seemed like he was on the verge of becoming a consistent top 5 player. Stanton produced well in 2015 but missed 88 games due to injury, then produced just 1.7 fWAR and a 114 wRC+ in 2016, leaving his future value in doubt. It appears as if Stanton is now back to his elite self, thanks to a change in his stance and swing mechanics that have led to a decline in strikeouts(22.8% strikeout rate in the 2nd half) while keeping the prodigious power. Here’s a look at the changes he made to his stance, which have helped him cover more of the strike zone and not allow himself to open up his front side too quickly.

Stanton April 2017
Stanton August 2017

What’s noteworthy about the Stanton trade rumors is one team that is listed as a possible suitor: the Angels. J.P. Morosi of Fox Sports came out with a piece on Wednesday that listed the Angels, Giants and Nationals as 3 serious suitors, citing that the Angels will likely be interested after being off the hook for Josh Hamilton’s contract this coming offseason. With 50+ million dollars to spend this offseason and a farm system that won’t supplement the major league club all that soon, the match with Stanton is pretty obvious. Angels owner Arte Moreno has never been shy about making big splashes(Vladimir Guerrero, Albert Pujols, Josh Hamilton) and while the club has been resistant to make big moves lately, Stanton represents a young, star level player who also has ties to Southern California(Los Angeles native).

Let’s assume the Angels are serious bidders for Stanton. The first and obvious red flag here is the fact that he is under contract through 2027 and has a 25 million dollar club option in 2028 with a 10 million dollar buyout. Assuming that club option isn’t exercised, Stanton will be paid 295 million dollars from 2018-2027, nearly 30 million dollars a year. He does have an opt out after the 2020 season but it seems rather unlikely that he will opt out unless he ends up staying in Miami. In 2027, Stanton will be 37 years old. For a club that has been recently crippled by handing out big contracts to 30+ year olds, this doesn’t seem like a wise move on paper. Stanton is obviously a younger option than the previously mentioned Angels signings but he’ll be getting paid heavily in his later years much like those players. Another serious issue for most of Stanton’s career has been his injury proneness, as he missed pretty significant time in 2012-2013 and 2015-2016. Large human beings like Stanton tend to be a bit more injury prone so that’s another legitimate worry when you add the contract into the mix.

Even with those 2 huge red flags, Stanton is one of the game’s elite talents and would pretty easily become the Angels 2nd best player, or 3rd best(hello Andrelton Simmons). Since reaching the big leagues in 2010, Stanton has been the 15th most valuable position player in baseball. His 144 wRC+ ranks 7th in baseball in that same time frame. His .553 slugging percentage ranks 4th. Stanton is a legitimate middle of the order bat who would instantly make the Angels lineup a formidable group just by grouping him with Mike Trout. Stanton consistently posts above average walk rates and with this recent cut back in strikeouts, there is legitimate talk of Stanton being a top 5 hitter once again, much like he was from 2011-2014. Stanton is also a legitimately good defender in right field, which surprises some people based on his size. He has accumulated a healthy 39 defensive runs saved(DRS) and a 24.2 Ultimate Zone Rating(UZR) in right field. Statcast backs this up as he generally makes all of the routine players and makes plenty of 4 star catches(45.5% in 2017). Add all of this up and you have a true talent 4+ win player and that’s including the time he misses with injuries most years.

We’ve established that Stanton is a really good player. The tricky part is working out a deal. There is so much money tied up in Stanton that any team trading for him likely will either want to take on the whole deal but give up no meaningful talent or have some salary sent back while sending more talent in return. Many believe that the Stanton deal is a really bad deal but if you break it down, it’s not really a poor deal but rather one with a lot of risk due to the length of the deal. I did a very rough projection of Stanton’s value over the duration of the deal, projecting him for a few 5 win seasons coming up then docking a half a win off each following season until the deal is up. I included his annual salary and also calculated what his actual worth is based on his production and what the free agent market pays for 1 WAR. As of now, teams are paying roughly 9 million dollars for 1 WAR on the free agent market. Here’s what Stanton’s breakdown looks like, with his projected WAR listed first followed by his annual salary and what he would be paid in free agency.

Inflation is a basic concept of economics and it applies to baseball as well. If we assume there’s roughly 5-10% of inflation over the next 10 years, Stanton will be worth 300-315 million dollars in this scenario. Again, this is a rough estimate and given Stanton’s injury history, it’s likely he’ll probably have a few injury riddled years. If you think this is too high of an estimate, that’s fair so maybe you dock him down to 250-275 million dollars of earned value. Even if that’s the case, Stanton is being paid pretty appropriately for what he’s providing on the baseball field. That means any team trading for Stanton and taking on the whole contract is probably paying him appropriately, which really means that team shouldn’t have to send anything meaningful back in return. But the Marlins are in the midst of changing ownership and it seems unlikely that Derek Jeter and his business partners will salary dump a franchise icon without getting some talent in return. This is where some potential issues may lie.

If the Angels enter the bidding process, they’ll likely want to take on most of the Stanton deal and give up less talent in return. If the Angels were to take the Stanton deal off and assume he’s being close to what he’s worth, the Angels likely won’t have to send much back. The Marlins likely want prospects and not MLB talent in return since a Stanton trade likely signals a rebuild so this rules out players like Kole Calhoun, Andrelton Simmons, etc. Maybe a top 10 prospect and some filler fits the mold. Chris Rodriguez and some lower level prospects, for example, might be a fair return if the Angels take on all of the salary, or even most of it. The Marlins may ask for more but it’s unlikely they’ll get more value back unless they kick in cash, which is a possible scenario too. For the Angels, they soak up a lot of payroll but they also add a premier talent and will still have enough money to fill a few holes through free agency and trades.

Let’s assume the Marlins eat 25% of the contract, knocking the deal down to 221 million dollars over 10 years. 10 years still looks like a lot but that 22.1 Annual Average Value(AAV) looks a lot more enticing and is probably paying Stanton under what he’s actually worth. In this scenario, the Marlins can ask for a better prospect package in return, with Stanton being a bit of a bargain. Miami can likely ask for a few blue chip prospects, such as Jahmai Jones and Jaime Barria, and another project such as Elvin Rodriguez or Jose Suarez. This hurts the Angels farm system but it also gives the Angels more payroll flexibility and creates less risk by taking on less money on a gigantic deal.

If the Marlins really want to maximize their return value and aren’t too concerned about the money, they can split the cost of the contract, bringing it down to 147.5 million dollars over 10 years. Now, the Marlins have some serious leverage to ask for a monstrous return but are also on the hook for nearly 150 million dollars of dead money while also sending their franchise icon out of town. The Angels are probably sending Jahmai Jones, Jordon Adell, Jaime Barria, Chris Rodriguez and more in this hypothetical deal but are also getting a premier slugger for 14.75 million dollars a year over the duration of the deal. The Marlins likely don’t eat this much money and the Angels are probably hesitant to crush a farm system that is improving so much but it’s a possibility. This scenario means the Angels really undo the work of improving the farm system but they add a legit top 10 hitter and pay him well less than he deserves and allow themselves to spend more in free agency.

What we have here is two sides who are a match for negotiating a Giancarlo Stanton trade. What we don’t have is clarity on what each team would prefer: exchanging money or prospects. In any scenario, there seems to be a fit here considering how much free payroll the Angels have coming up and the dire need for another big bat to pair with Mike Trout before he hits free agency after 2020. Bringing Stanton in could be that big move that signals to Mike Trout that the Angels are serious and could sway him into re-upping to stay in Anaheim for the rest of his career. It’s a risky move and we’ve seen the Angels get crippled with big deals but the Angels also have the chance to add a premier player and possibly create the best duo of hitters in all of baseball. There is no doubt that this is an incredibly risky move, regardless of which route the Angels took to acquire Stanton, but it’s also a move that would help put the Angels firmly into contender mode and would maximize this Trout window. The upside with acquiring Giancarlo Stanton is obvious. The risk of acquiring him may be just as big, if not bigger, than that reward. Deciding if that risk is more than the reward is the ultimate question to any Giancarlo Stanton trade discussion.

]]>31898Fri, 18 Aug 2017 00:50:50 +0000Pujols hitting behind Trouthttp://www.angelswin-forum.com/forums/topic/31884-pujols-hitting-behind-trout/
As a mea culpa I would admit that Scioscia seems to be having a better year than in years past, he has a roster that is more to his style which is good.

The one thing that baffles me is that he continues to hit Pujols behind Trout. Pujols has been absolutely awful and IMO shouldn't even be in the lineup, but if he is it should be at the bottom.

I have noticed later in games in high leverage positions when Trout is up, he is rarely getting anything to hit, and why would anyone pitch to him when the equivalent of a NL pitcher is hitting behind him.

If the Angels make the playoffs then I would think it would be almost every at bat.

]]>3178Thu, 09 May 2013 04:05:23 +0000Richards Rehabhttp://www.angelswin-forum.com/forums/topic/31894-richards-rehab/
Anyone know if Richards is headed out to San Bernardino? Got passed up on the 210 east yesterday by a tricked out blue Camaro with the license plate "Angels43".
]]>31894Thu, 17 Aug 2017 18:41:02 +0000The Official Los Angeles Angels 2017 Wild Card Trackerhttp://www.angelswin-forum.com/forums/topic/31731-the-official-los-angeles-angels-2017-wild-card-tracker/]]>31731Sun, 13 Aug 2017 02:03:57 +0000Stanton Clears Waivershttp://www.angelswin-forum.com/forums/topic/31857-stanton-clears-waivers/
On pace for 60 home runs this year - and still has $295m in salary ahead of him.
]]>31857Tue, 15 Aug 2017 14:28:52 +0000Another day offhttp://www.angelswin-forum.com/forums/topic/31895-another-day-off/
What the heck are we supposed to do today?
]]>31895Thu, 17 Aug 2017 18:51:04 +0000Hilarious first pitch at Fenwayhttp://www.angelswin-forum.com/forums/topic/31890-hilarious-first-pitch-at-fenway/

]]>31890Thu, 17 Aug 2017 16:03:03 +0000The Official Major League Baseball Threadhttp://www.angelswin-forum.com/forums/topic/25727-the-official-major-league-baseball-thread/
All things MLB so we can talk about other teams, players and the standings.

Angels starting pitcher Andrew Heaney, wake off the field with a bloody nose after a four-run third inning by the Chicago Cubs during their game at Angel Stadium Tuesday. ///ADDITIONAL INFO: angels.0406.kjs — Photo by KEVIN SULLIVAN / Orange County Register — 4/5/16 The Los Angeles Angels take on the Chicago Cubs Tuesday at Angel Stadium. 4/5/16

BALTIMORE — Even before Andrew Heaney underwent Tommy John surgery last year, he had an idea when he wanted to return to the majors.

August 15, 2017.

Mid-August would be 13½ months after his July 1, 2016, surgery, so that’s the date he kept circled in his head, and that he shared privately with Angels teammates and trainers.

As Heaney prepares to return to a big league mound Friday against the Baltimore Orioles, just three days behind his goal, what is even more remarkable is that Heaney didn’t just rehab from one surgery.

He actually had two.

Around late September last year, Heaney was doing range-of-motion exercises, and they weren’t going well.

Heaney also noticed a tingling in his fingers. He was unusually clumsy, dropping his keys all the time. So he went to see a neurologist.

Heaney learned that, sometime during his rehab, a “nerve had slipped into the groove and was getting pinched,” he said.

He had another surgery, in early October, to transposition his nerve, he said. It was a relatively quick and minor procedure but nonetheless upsetting to Heaney.

He never spoke publicly about the second operation until this week, and the Angels never revealed it.

“For me, that was the low point,” Heaney said, “because I felt like maybe that was going to take me off course.”

It didn’t. Since then, Heaney’s rehab has been, by all accounts, flawless. He hit all of his markers, which is why he’s able to pitch in 2017, even though the team’s initial, conservative, plan was to have him come back in 2018.

Heaney never wanted that.

“Before I had surgery, that was part of it – I wanted to find a surgeon who was OK with that, who felt comfortable getting me back in 13½ or 14 months,” he said. “That’s something I really wanted to do.

“I wanted to have that confidence in myself that I’m back. I wanted to have the ability to get stretched out and throw in games and have as close to a normal offseason as possible, not come into spring training saying ‘What the hell do I have?’ I know what I can do, because I did it for the last month and a half of the season.”

What the Angels will see over the last six weeks, Heaney said, is a pitcher who has adjusted his delivery and is in better shape.

“Right now, the way I feel, (the surgery) is going to be a really (lousy) thing that’s a positive thing for my career,” he said. “I learned how to train better. I learned how to eat better. I learned how to take care of my body better.”

The pitching changes are minor, Heaney said. Just some tweaks to make his delivery more repeatable and consistent. The only evidence of whether it’s made a difference so far are his six minor league outings, in which he posted a 2.60 ERA with 29 strikeouts and five walks in 27-2/3 innings. In his last Triple-A game, he gave up one run in seven innings, on 94 pitches.

When Heaney, 26, brings all that to the mound Friday night, many of his teammates will be seeing a healthy Heaney for the first time in a big league game. Heaney pitched one game in 2016, a six-inning outing in which he was already feeling the effects of something amiss in his elbow.

He earned the nod to start the second game of 2016 with the way he pitched down the stretch in 2015, a 3.49 ERA in 18 starts.

“It’s definitely going to be exciting for a lot of guys in this clubhouse to see him get back out there,” said Kole Calhoun, one of the Angels who was around in 2015. “Hopefully he can help this ballclub. We can definitely use him.”

Heaney’s effectiveness down the stretch this year shouldn’t necessarily be judged by what he does on Friday, though. This game is going to be unlike any other that Heaney has pitched.

“It feels like your debut again,” said Andrew Bailey, who had Tommy John surgery in college and missed 24 months of his major league career after shoulder surgery. “It’s nerve-wracking. It’s one of those things you’ve just got to get through.

“He’s going to have a bunch of emotions going through his head. It’s going to be about his ability to control that and grind through it. He’s still got a couple hurdles to get through as far as getting comfortable back on the mound.”

Tyler Skaggs went through it just about a year ago. Skaggs missed nearly two years after his Tommy John surgery, because he also had a shoulder issue crop up during his rehab. He returned last July and pitched seven scoreless innings in his first game.

“There will be a lot of adrenaline the first game back,” Skaggs said. “Once it’s over, you can say ‘I’m back and it is what it is.’”

Heaney was feeling it days before he pitched: “I haven’t been out there at this level in a while. I’ve got butterflies. I’m anxious. I’m ready to get out there and pitch.”

Heaney’s wife, his mother and one of his sisters will be in Baltimore to share this moment with him. They, along with his teammates and certainly even many of the Orioles, will know they are watching something special.

It will be the culmination of a roller coaster of emotions over 413 days.

Just like he planned.

“It feels really good to have put my mind and soul into something and have it come out that way,” Heaney said. “That was just Step 1. From here on out, it’s about competing and getting outs.”

]]>31880Wed, 16 Aug 2017 16:25:43 +0000Why not Howiehttp://www.angelswin-forum.com/forums/topic/30673-why-not-howie/]]>30673Thu, 01 Jun 2017 23:48:28 +0000Gameday Thread: Scioscia has lost his mind Vol 897 - Angels vs. Nats 8/15http://www.angelswin-forum.com/forums/topic/31861-gameday-thread-scioscia-has-lost-his-mind-vol-897-angels-vs-nats-815/
The team's hottest hitter, C.J. Cron is sitting in favor of the struggling Pujols and once again, Pennington in there over Cowart at 2B.

]]>31861Tue, 15 Aug 2017 19:32:47 +0000Our farm??? or lack thereofhttp://www.angelswin-forum.com/forums/topic/31878-our-farm-or-lack-thereof/
On Fangraphs today they posted the updated lists for top 10 prospects in the AL west, and i have to say i was flabbergasted at this list. If you read the summaries on the other clubs, then read ours, its incredibly depressing. The difference in adjectives was noticeable ours being heavy on "struggled", "mixed", "injuries" "mid rotation" and "utility"

Now i hate to be a jerk but with all the talk about the farm and protecting the farm and not trading asets etc.... this, is what some of you are so terrified to lose? I mean i get it in principle sure but this evaluation is far from anything i would be broken up to lose. What on this list is untouchable or even relevant at the ML level in the next 3 years?

If this is where we are right now we are further off than even i thought in this regard, and thats bad cause i thought we were barren.

Jones has struggled with breaking balls this season but made some adjustments in Low-A, started hitting, and has continued to do so since promotion to High-A. Marsh has dealt with injuries but has the speed to play center and plus raw power projection. Chris Rodriguez was flashing three plus pitches in extended spring training. His results have been mixed since he was assigned to an affiliate. Barria could be a mid-rotation starter based largely on his command. Thaiss doesn’t have prototypical power for first base but might hit enough to be a low-end regular there. Fletcher projects as a utility man. Soriano is physically projectable and touching 96 here in Arizona after sitting 87-92 this spring.

Leading up to yesterday’s day game, Parker Bridwell joined MLB Network via Ballpark Cam to discuss the following items with MLB Central’s Mark DeRosa, Matt Vasgersian and Hall of Famer John Smoltz:

Here’s some highlights of the segment with Parker Didwell.

On what works for him, Bridwell responded, “Primarily I’d say executing fastball command, being down in the zone early, and when guys are hacking it really works in your favor and helps you be more efficient. If I can get an out in two pitches instead of three then I’m gonna be in good shape and I’m gonna do that every time if I can. I just look to be efficient and get my team off the field and keep our bats hot.”

On facing the Orioles this coming Sunday, Bridwell said, “I think the way I am wired, there is a little extra something something. I like competing and that’s just the way I am. Like I told some of the guys after the first appearance with them, ‘There [are] some good friends on that side and they treated me and my family very well in that organization.’ So, it’s just a game and at the end of the day I just want to go out there and put my team in the best position to win.”

On befriending Hong Kong-based fan Fergus Chan, Bridwell said, “There was always this one kid that was always yelling positive things to me and Keynan Middleton. I got to talking to him one day and asked him about his story, or who he came with to the games, because he was always by himself. He said he bought a $10 ticket and sat way up in right field stands every game. So I told him to come to will call the next day and I’ll leave him a ticket by the dugout so he can kind of interact more with the players and stuff. From there it just took off, he’s an awesome kid and I’m very glad I got to meet somebody like that. He’s somebody that inspires a bunch of people and for me, I like doing stuff for people that are good to me.”

]]>31883Wed, 16 Aug 2017 17:10:01 +0000Whicker: Angels’ season was over, but they kept playinghttp://www.angelswin-forum.com/forums/topic/31783-whicker-angels%E2%80%99-season-was-over-but-they-kept-playing/
The season did not end Monday morning. The Angels are not the American League’s second wild-card team, at least not yet.

Occupancy is not the law. One-fourth of the schedule lies before them.

“All I know is that the standings are pretty crowded,” said Billy Eppler, the Angels’ general manager. “We’ve got our heads down. All we want to do is win the game we’re playing.”

But somehow the games are worth playing and the scoreboards worth watching. The Angels’ season supposedly ended May 28. Purgatory has been kind.

Related Articles

May 28 was the Sunday in which the Angels got blown out at Miami and got written off by a baseball world that had never written them in.

Mike Trout tore ligaments in his thumb that day, head-firsting himself into second base. The Angels were 26-27, stuck in the middle of the road with the dead armadillos.

Trout would not play again until July 9. But the stadium was still standing when he returned. The Angels had gone 19-20. Trout must have felt like the teacher who had to leave unexpectedly and returned to find the class had done its homework and dusted the erasers. They were dirty but not buried.

“Cameron Maybin stepped up,” Eppler said. “‘Andrelton Simmons, Kole Calhoun … Eric Young Jr. came up and made a massive contribution. And then our starters and bullpen kept keeping us in games, like they had been doing.

“It wasn’t about one person. But even in 2015, the year before I came, this team’s competitiveness had been very apparent. It’s part of their DNA.”

But you don’t win by treading water. Could the Angels actually put a couple of hot weeks together?

First they had to resist more discouragement. In the last week of July they suffered a 2-4 trip and lost twice on ninth-inning grand slams.

They took a standing 8-count, then won 10 of their next 13, including three late-inning comebacks in a four-game sweep at Seattle last weekend..That’s all it took to get into position as the No. 2 wild card, a half-game ahead of Minnesota as of Monday.

Many are responsible for this, including former commissioner Bud Selig, who invented the wild card and then the second wild card. This creates the illusion that contending teams are actually good ones. But sometimes illusion becomes reality. Five teams were within 2½ games off the Angels Monday. All had given up more runs than they’ve scored.

Steve Mantone, the assistant GM, gets a gold star, too, as does scout Brendan Harris. Mantone, scavenging other minor league systems while the Angels get theirs running, found Orioles’ right-hander Parker Bridwell, who was being turned into a reliever. Harris gave Bridwell a positive write-up, and Bridwell is 7-1 with eight quality starts out of 11, and a 1.168 WHIP.

Reliever Blake Parker, another yard-sale pickup, has an 0.911 WHIP with 66 strikeouts in 52 innings. Yusmeiro Petit has an 0.971 WHIP.

The Angels have the worst offense in the league, at least by OPS. But they’ve gotten some late-game rhythm. Those comeback wins have a way of repeating.

They also have mastered detail. They are ranked second in defensive efficiency by MLB.com. They have 57 errors, second-fewest in the league. Their bullpen WHIP is 1.20, fourth in the league. They’ve given up the second-fewest walks.

And while they have stolen 104 bases in 140 attempts, their opponents only have a 60.7 success rate. Catcher Martin Maldonado is the proximate cause.

“His impact has been tremendous,” Eppler said. ‘When we got him last winter, we sent him an iPad with all our pitchers’ tendencies. Martin sat down and wrote up scouting reports on each one and sent them back to us. He hadn’t caught any of them, but he was 90 percent right on everything they did. We gave him an A-minus. We had a pretty good feeling after that.”

The Angels might or might not make the playoffs. They should improve. Their injured pitchers are pitching. Andrew Heaney is in Triple-A. Garrett Richards is moving toward September appearances. Andrew Bailey, one of three closer candidates who was hurt, is also making his way.

And there’s Simmons, the team’s MVP so far, and Trout, the reigning league MVP and a tipping point in any game.

And there’s Manager Mike Scioscia, who creates the day-to-day workplace, and now Eppler has given him the speed, defense and pitching he prefers.

Suddenly the Trade Trout and Fire Scioscia factions, who make up the alt-wrong wing of the Angels’ fanbase, has receded into the basement.

The moral: The season will end when it wants. But it’s long enough for your wildest dreams, even the ones you never had.

]]>31783Mon, 14 Aug 2017 22:41:44 +0000Nolasco needs to go!http://www.angelswin-forum.com/forums/topic/31885-nolasco-needs-to-go/
31 home runs he's given up this season. Outside of a few solid starts he's just been awful this season.

We're always coming from behind when he's on the mound it seems, or just downright losing ball games.

Question to you all: If the Angels claimed Giancarlo Stanton and the Marlins let him and his remaining salary go would you be okay with that?

Follow-up Question: If the Angels claimed him and the Marlins negotiated with us for a set of players who would you be willing to give up to obtain him?

For me personally this will be a potentially very interesting revocable waivers season. As August progresses many of the teams fighting for the WC spot, particularly in the A.L., will get better definition on how close they are or not and that could create a secondary market that wasn't really tapped at the July 31st deadline. The Angels, if they win a lot over the next two weeks, might try to add a piece or two on the cheap by taking on big salaries for very little prospect return to make one final push for the WC. If Eppler dealt away prospects of very little note I for one wouldn't be upset if he tries to sneak us in to the playoffs by acquiring one or two big salary rental or controllable players to help the team.

In particular someone like Stanton is an interesting target for any big market team. It was rumored that almost every team checking in on Giancarlo didn't want to pick up his full salary and that is understandable for a lot of teams. However a team like the Angels with payroll space might be willing to take on the whole contract if it means not having to spend any (if we claim him and the Marlins simply dump him... very unlikely) or not a whole lot of prospect capital. This could be a really unique opportunity to obtain an impact player for $25MM Average Annual Value per year without having to pay a really deep prospect price. It is highly unlikely but if Eppler actually pulled it off it would allow us to focus our prospect resources on a good quality pitcher in trade and then add one or more smaller pieces in free agency as needed for example.

Another interesting revocable candidate is Neil Walker. He would very likely be salary dumped on us if we claimed him (or a minor prospect at best I think) and could add some temporary firepower at 2B for the remainder of the season.

Most of this will be predicated on the Angels winning over the next two weeks but it will be interesting to see if any of these bubble WC contenders make some moves (including us!).

Judge went from 19 home runs in a full season of minor league ball to 30 in just over a half of a ML season!

Maybe the pitching is better in the minors?

Maybe the parks are bigger there also?

Sorry, I can't help but be suspicious.

]]>31245Mon, 10 Jul 2017 23:18:44 +0000Troll Daddy was righthttp://www.angelswin-forum.com/forums/topic/31874-troll-daddy-was-right/
He was in favor of the Angels trading for Howie back in June. He was right, a lot of us were wrong. He would have made this team better.
]]>31874Wed, 16 Aug 2017 01:40:31 +0000Vote: OC Register or MLB Angels News (via RSS feed)http://www.angelswin-forum.com/forums/topic/31758-vote-oc-register-or-mlb-angels-news-via-rss-feed/
Vote...

The reason I stopped using the OC Register is they had a glitch one day and hundreds of feeds hit our forum that were non Angels related, or even sports related for that matter.

Angels starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco throws during the third inning of an interleague game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The Washington Nationals’ Wilmer Difo hits a single during the third inning of an interleague game against the Angels at Nationals Park, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Angels first baseman Luis Valbuena, left, listens as catcher Juan Graterol and starting pitcher Ricky Nolasco talk on the mound during the third inning of an interleague game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

The Angels’ Luis Valbuena, center, is congratulated in the dugout by teammates after hitting home run in the fifth inning of an interleague game against the Washington Nationals at Nationals Park, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Washington Nationals starting pitcher Tanner Roark throws during the fourth inning of an interleague game against the Angels at Nationals Park, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

Washington Nationals center fielder Michael Taylor can’t catch a solo home run by the Angels’ Luis Valbuena during the fifth inning of an interleague game at Nationals Park, Wednesday, Aug. 16, 2017, in Washington. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon)

WASHINGTON — Ricky Nolasco, Kole Calhoun and Luis Valbuena have all had seasons that haven’t quite lived up to their expectations.

But all three of them had performances that helped lift the Angels to a 3-2 victory over the Washington Nationals on Wednesday afternoon.

Valbuena put the Angels on the board with a homer in the fifth and Calhoun’s two-run homer in the sixth gave the Angels a lead.

Nolasco gave up no runs after a first-inning two-run homer by Ryan Zimmerman, coming up just one strike shy of six innings.

After Nolasco’s 112th pitch, which brought the count to 2-and-2 on Jose Lobaton in the sixth, Nolasco left the game with some type of health issue. There was no immediate word on what was wrong.

He had worked hard to get that far into the game on a steamy afternoon. He pitched around five baserunners in the third and fourth. He escaped the fourth with a strikeout of Wilmer Difo, leaving the bases loaded.

That was the first of six straight hitters Nolasco retired before coming out of the game, having lowered his ERA to 5.16.

He was in line for a victory, even though the Angels had once again given him only modest support. When Calhoun’s two-out homer against Tanner Roark reached the seats in the sixth, it marked just the sixth time in Nolasco’s 25 starts that the Angels had scored a third run for him.

Calhoun’s rollercoaster season has been on an upswing in August, to the tune of a .319 average.

Valbuena, who is still hitting .193 for the season, has at least shown a power surge lately, with seven homers since the All-Star break.

The Angels held the lead with the help of a huge play by second baseman Kaleb Cowart. Zimmerman was at first with one out when Adam Lind hit a ground ball that first baseman C.J. Cron mishandled. The ball rolled into shallow right. Cowart raced back, picked it up and fired to third to nail Zimmerman.

]]>31888Wed, 16 Aug 2017 20:01:04 +0000Angels' August (11-4) = Do or Die Month for 2017http://www.angelswin-forum.com/forums/topic/31553-angels-august-11-4-do-or-die-month-for-2017/
Damn, cannot believe that we are in August already. Anyways, I feel like this month is going to make or break the Angels season. This team has been playing .500 baseball for the whole year but they will really need everyone to step up starting this month. A bad month of August, like in 2015, will end the Angels hopes of making the postseason, as a WC. A decent month that results in about a .500 record will give them slim hopes of making the postseason but this team has not been able to put a long winning streak together so odds are not in their favors. However, a good August will no doubt keep them in the chase. Obviously, Trout is going to need to keep on playing like a star this month and in September but guys like Pujols and Calhoun need to rediscover their productive forms. And the starting rotation in particular. Should get a boost if their best starters be able to pitch at some point. So far so good for Pujols in August, even if it is only one game. Pujols' best month of his career has been August, a month in which he has posted the highest batting average, OBP, and slugging percentage in his career.
]]>31553Wed, 02 Aug 2017 15:43:43 +0000Trout's August numbershttp://www.angelswin-forum.com/forums/topic/31889-trouts-august-numbers/
.373/.522/.667 in 67 plate appearances after today's win over the Nats.

I don't remember if it's true or not but I think Trout's worst month in his career is August. Nope, I was wrong. August's is Trout's second worst month of his career. In 159 games in August, he has a slash line .297/.414/.539, still superstar numbers. He has had years where he was still great in August: 2013 (.337/.500/.590 in 110 plate appearances) and 2016 (.349/.486/.651 in 107 plate appearances). However, he has had years in which he struggled in August: 2012 (.284/.355/.500 in 134 plate appearances), 2014 (.254/.318/.492 in 132 plate appearances), and 2015 (.218/.352/.337 in 122 plate appearances).

I do think that a big August will make Trout's MVP case more compelling since he missed almost 2 months due to injuries, so he lost about close to 200 plate appearances. The total amount of plate appearances do matter. So if he keeps on putting up numbers for the rest of the month and get his PA's up more, it would make his counting numbers look way better. If his season ended after today, he probably won't even finish in the top-3 in the AL MVP race even though when he has been out there playing, he's way better than anybody, going by OPS+.

]]>31889Wed, 16 Aug 2017 20:51:45 +0000Appreciation for Epplerhttp://www.angelswin-forum.com/forums/topic/31864-appreciation-for-eppler/
I just want to say that I think he's done a fantastic job since taking over the reins. You can imagine where the team would be if we had half the injuries.
]]>31864Tue, 15 Aug 2017 20:45:16 +0000OC Register: Angels Notes: Andrew Heaney will return on Friday in Baltimorehttp://www.angelswin-forum.com/forums/topic/31886-oc-register-angels-notes-andrew-heaney-will-return-on-friday-in-baltimore/WASHINGTON — Andrew Heaney doesn’t look at his return in quite the same way as the rest of the Angels.

Considered by some in the clubhouse to be an addition who could propel the recently surging Angels into the playoffs, Heaney has more modest goals.

“The way they’ve been playing,” he said, “I just want to not mess it up.”

Heaney will get his first chance to “not mess it up” on Friday, when he will start against the Baltimore Orioles. It will mark his return to a major league mound, just over 13 1/2 months removed from Tommy John surgery and 16 1/2 months after his only big league game in 2016.

Heaney, 26, posted a 3.49 ERA in 18 starts in 2015, and earned the No. 2 spot in the rotation the following season. His elbow problems cropped up during that first start, eventually resulting in major surgery.

Heaney will take the currently empty fifth spot in the rotation, pushing JC Ramirez and Parker Bridwell back to Saturday and Sunday in Baltimore.

“We’re excited to have Andrew back,” Manager Mike Scioscia said. “It’s a remarkable process he went through in his rehab.”

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NORRIS UPDATE

Bud Norris gave up a run in his only inning of work since the Angels removed from the high-leverage role in which he’d spent much of the season. Scioscia said he still saw positive signs in Tuesday’s outing.

“He made some adjustments that were important,” Scioscia said Wednesday morning, referring to Norris keeping his hands closer together during his delivery.

Norris was the closer, even though Scioscia never officially named him as such, for most of the season. A bad stretch of games, including two grand slams, cost him that spot. He pitched with a 2-0 deficit in the sixth on Tuesday.

“He’s going to be fine,” Scioscia said. “His stuff is good. He’s got a chance to get back to being an important part of our ‘pen.”

ALSO

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Ben Revere got the start in left, instead of Cameron Maybin. Maybin was the everyday left fielder before he went on the disabled list with a sprained knee. Since he’s come back, he’s split the job with Revere, which is an effort to let his knee get stronger and also recognition of how hot Revere got in Maybin’s absence…